I plant mostly for insects, so expect things to get eaten, though it is hard to deal with in an infestation, or borers kill a soon to bloom something. I view the insects as food for birds and other things, so in that regard they are friends. Katydids in particular seem to be a favorite of the Bluebirds around here.

I have done that with some insects... Stink Bug eggs were laid on grass near a native patch. They looked like the native variety (and I really hope they were), so I plucked that blade of grass and moved it elsewhere, away from where I didn't want eaten by that many little stinkers.

Katydids are in the cricket family, I think, but they look more like grasshoppers to me. From what I have observed, they will eat the leaves of anything and everything, even plants that nothing else seems to bother. Maybe I'm exaggerating but it seems like I find them munching all different types of plants, leaves and flowers. I've never really thought of them as friends but they probably make good food for amphibians and my chickens think they are quite tasty. The Mississippi Kites find the grasshoppers desirable so maybe they like the Katydids too. I've never witnessed any beneficial insects (Assassin bug, spider, Praying Mantis) take a Katydid for food, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Now that I think about it, I haven't seen very many katydids this year but I have seen more frogs, lizards and birds. Bats too.

In any event, I want to add that I find it works out best when nature takes its course and over the years. Here, everything is balancing out in a good way.

May your life be like a wildflower, growing freely in the beauty and joy of each day --Native American Proverb

I've seen a hornet dive bomb a katydid so hard it split it in half then flew off the the upper body. Hornets are great beneficials in spring- early summer while they eat meat but in fall they eat a lot of my fruit and will sting you while picking fruit so they become more of a pest later in the year. A Praying mantis will eat anything including birds, frogs, bees, and other odd things you wouldn't think they would. They are the sharks of the insect world and will even bite you.
Chillybean native or not there is no way I'd relocate stinkbug eggs. They are a huge problem in agriculture because they have so few predators and have a wide range of host plants. The spray from stink bugs have also been known to cause respiratory issues for some people and can cause a bad skin rash. They are good for absolutely nothing in my eyes.

ediblelandscapingsc said:
Chillybean native or not there is no way I'd relocate stinkbug eggs. They are a huge problem in agriculture because they have so few predators and have a wide range of host plants. The spray from stink bugs have also been known to cause respiratory issues for some people and can cause a bad skin rash. They are good for absolutely nothing in my eyes.

This is ok we have differing views. I believe they have some reason for being here, so if it is not the Brown Marmarated, I leave them be for the most part. Doing a quick search, some birds will eat them (From experience, our chickens do) and the predatory stink bugs will eat the pest ones. We have not found an unbalance of most native insects (the corn rootworms are the exception) , so I understand my perspective is different from many.

Katydids will eat pretty much the same things as Grasshoppers. I too for the most part ascribe to chain of life ** and let be most of the time. Not all. This summer grasshoppers have been horrible - most I have seen in decades. They decimated scores of young seedlings - clear cutting many. So I eliminated a bunch over a couple of week period when ever/where ever I saw them. But I usually just leave them be.

** I even like hummingbird moths more than the excess of tomatoes that I can not keep up with in giving away. So when I find a tomato or tobacco hornworm - they stay and I donate the plant to them for awhile. Must admit it was hard watching one absolutely devastate a Contorted filbert (Harry Lauder walking stick). Guess what - it is releafing out and the hornworm is long gone.